How To Advocate For Yourself At The Doctor When You Have ADHD

Jen Welsh shares her journey of navigating ADHD and health challenges with humor and empowerment in this podcast episode. Through her experiences, she offers insights on overcoming obstacles, medical advocacy, and turning challenges into opportunities to help others.

Highlights:

- Jen discusses her diagnosis of ADHD at 28 and the realization that working independently wasn't a solution to her productivity issues.

- The episode humorously explores Jen's health challenges, including dermoid cysts and persistent concussion syndrome, highlighting the loss of coping skills and executive functioning.

- Practical strategies for medical advocacy, especially for women and women of color, are shared, including the importance of arriving at medical appointments prepared with a script.

Summary

In this episode, Jen Welsh, host of the Lady HD podcast, shares her personal journey of living with ADHD and navigating complex health challenges. Diagnosed with ADHD at 28, Jen humorously reflects on her initial belief that working independently would solve her productivity issues, only to discover that the challenges persisted.

Jen's journey is further complicated by her health challenges, including dermoid cysts and persistent concussion syndrome. The episode provides a warm and honest portrayal of living with overlapping health conditions while maintaining a sense of humor.

Empowerment and self-advocacy are central themes in the episode, particularly in medical settings for women and women of color. Jen shares her strategy of arriving at medical appointments with a prepared script, ensuring effective communication with healthcare providers.

ADHD & PMDD: How to Manage Both

In this episode, I catch up with Savannah LeJeune a Colorado-based photographer to talk about how PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder) impacts her ADHD.

Summary

Savannah Lejeune shares her compelling story of resilience as she navigates the complexities of ADHD and PMDD. Initially misdiagnosed with depression, Savannah discovered her true diagnoses in adulthood, profoundly impacting her career in the fast-paced film industry. With the support of her family and mental health professionals, she emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy in navigating the healthcare system to find the right treatment.

The podcast explores the modern landscape of mental health treatment, highlighting the convenience and accessibility of online therapy platforms like BetterHelp. Savannah and the host discuss the challenges of medication management for ADHD and PMDD, sharing personal experiences with medications like Vyvanse, Prozac, and Wellbutrin. The conversation underscores the significance of persistence and self-advocacy in securing effective mental health resources.

What Is ADHD Like During Menopause?

I chat with Lisa Alecci, life coach and founder of ADHD Freedom, about hormone fluctuations and their impact on ADHD. Lisa, who has ADHD herself, didn't realize she had it until menopause hit. She explains why this happens and her thoughts on the broader conversations (or lack thereof) in our community.

Lisa explained estrogen decreases by about 65% during menopause. Estrogen is a key factor in the production and use of serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine. Lisa points out people with ADHD don't have enough of these in the first place which explains why executive function capabilities drop along with them.

Mentioned in this episode:

- Rude awakening

- A rude awakening

- Is it Alzheimer's?

- Managing hormones

Highlights

(00:00) Menopause and ADHD

(11:09) ADHD, Hormones, and Self-Advocacy

(19:38) Finding ADHD Specialist and Managing Menopause